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Well I haven’t been able to take my machine to the shop where i purchased as yet. It makes a horrible grinding noise and the bobbin winder doesn’t work either. Although i’m grateful during this economy to have my job, it does get in the way of the funner things in life like sewing.

I’m currently visiting various sites to find an inexpensive, basic sewing machine just so i can finish these projects quickly (especially the quillow). It’s great that people can add comments about their experiences with the products they’ve purchased such as on Target and Walmart sites. There seems to be a lot of good feedback for Brother brand sewing machines, more so than for Singer. I also found a site called FixYa where you can ask a question but then for a fee they will give you the answer to help trouble shoot or fix the problem. This is a good site though to help you determine what machines are prone to breaking down easily, etc. Replacement manuals are also available for $15 from the Singer site (my current sewing machine ), i may have to get one if i can’t find mine. If you are looking for a new machine, hope some of these sites and their info can help you out.

WEll my sewing friends i have been very hard pressed to find the time to sew these past few months. Working full time in addition to taking classes towards my bachelor’s degree leaves me very little time to enjoy what i most like to do (sewing & quilting). Yesterday i began work on a quillow for a friend and my sewing machine started to make this very strange noise. As if the motor or gears were falling apart. This machine is less than a year old! And of course i couldn’t find the manual to try and troubleshoot it or anything. It has been a very frustrating weekend. Hopefully i can get my machine working again real soon so i can finish this project and the other quilts i have going….spring is coming and i’ve signed up for two more classes….(i’d rather be sewing!)

Do you have a new machine and need help on how to use or maybe want to chat with others about sewing tips and tricks? log on tonight and through July 10 to Quilting Weekly for a live chat on sewing machines for central time zone. Haven’t blogged in a while as life sometimes gets in the way of the fun stuff. I have started a new quilt from this pattern pictured below. I love my material and can’t wait to complete it. Since it will be a large quilt (big enough for my queen size bed!) i may have to save up to have this one quilted by a pro.

Trip Around the 9 Patch

I’m hoping to get a camera soon so i can take photos more often to post, having to scan things or wait till i can borrow my daughter’s camera delays the postings sometimes.

Wow i just learned i won a free quilting lesson from www.quiltingweeekly.com! I very rarely win anything so this is exciting and as a new quilter i still need to learn quite a bit. Now which lesson to choose. Quilting weekly offers a variety of lessons for the very beginner to the more experienced quilter and they all sound so much fun! There are lessons on machine quilting, printing photos to fabric, quilting with denim and so much more check it out! who knows you could come out a winner too.

Well tonight i’m helping Karina (my youngest) cut out a dress pattern and then hopefully she will want to take on the challenge of sewing it herself since the dress is for her. it’s a very simple pattern and i made the exact same dress last night for my oldest daughter. just a simple sun dress for around the house or beach. Karina’s doing hers in the red material and Carmen (oldest) picked the brown paisley. It’s been awhile since i made clothes so getting back into the swing.

I’ve also started a quilt for Karina using the same pattern as the first quilt i made. as soon as i can get ahold of a camera i’ll post photos to go along with the blog postings. Karina is a wanna be hippie and she picked out some great fabric, very retro – flower power. Bought it at a fabric shop we found where the fabric is 1/2 price from the quilt store. Large selection and many people there, some were even from out of town and were going to ship their purchases home.

I received some samples in the mail o f this cute fabric with a summer theme – i was thinking maybe a hot pad or incorporating into a fun nap pillow. Whatever i come up with i’ll be sure to feature here –

It’s been awhile since I’ve done any sewing that included a ruffle or gathering of material. I remember the frustration of the thread always breaking before I made it through the end of the material to complete my ruffle because regular sewing thread just doesn’t hold up to pulling. I learned a great tip the other day in my sewing class. One that would have saved me a lot of headaches back when I was making very ruffly things for my daughter. Instead of using plain thread to sew and gather a ruffle, you can use cotton crochet thread which is of course thicker and stronger than regular sewing thread. Just follow these simple steps:

Choose a color thread that will match your fabric. Measure the amount of crochet thread needed by holding across the fabric to be gathered and then double that amount.

Fold the thread in half. On the looped end of your thread, stitch it to hold it in place a couple of times across (by pressing and releasing reverse button) as shown in first photo.

Cut thread and then turn (see second photo) in order to zig zag down the row of threads (keeping both threads within the zig zag stitch). You may need to adjust the width of the stitch in order for both threads to fit inside the stitching. Stitch completely down the row of thread, leaving about a half-inch at the end. Once done, just pull on both ends and you should easily be able to ruffle and gather your fabric without breaking your thread!

I can’t wait to try this technique with ruffles for pillows I’ll be quilting. I got a couple of great free patterns and you can too by signing up for the Quilting Weekly newsletter.

As I learn and grow in my quilting skills and knowledge I’m amazed by how many shops are out there specializing in quilts. I guess until you become involved in something you don’t really “see” some things you know? On my travels I’m going to make sure I find and visit at least one quilt store in the area whether to compare shops, fabric or local customs it should be fun.

Inspiration and creativity come together in this little quilt shop located in the square of the historic Old Downtown area of Carrollton, Texas.

They offer a large variety of 100% cotton fabrics and quilting notions. You can also find an array of classes for the beginner to the most experienced quilter. There are even classes to help you improve your techniques in other areas such as making pants that fit, making patterns that fit and photo quilts among many others.

Wanting to join a quilting club? They have those too – including a book club featuring books with storylines on quilting of course! I recently joined what they call Moda U. One Saturday a month, members get together to see the newest fabrics from Moda, play Quilt-O (Bingo) to win a free pattern, see the latest kits, share tips and show finished Quilts – whether it’s your own or a family heirloom. It was quite fun and I’m looking forward to next month’s meeting.

Whether looking to learn a new skill, ideas for new projects or an opportunity to make new friends – this little shop is a gem. If you are ever in the Dallas, Texas area you’ll want to stop by and peruse the place just off Interstate 35, take Beltline exit.

About

I’ve recently taken up sewing again and am a beginning quilter. Can i just say i have totally become addicted and my daughters are soon to be addicted as well. I have always loved quilts and had a strong desire to learn but thought one day when i retire – well honey with this recession that day may never come. So i thought why wait?! Let’s not put this off any longer and i took the plunge. I’ve since spent a small fortune and am almost finished with my first quilt. As i go i hope to learn from others as a I progress and improve my skills in what I thought was a dying art but appears to be very much alive and well.